Have you ever heard of Lady Grey Jewelry? I had not. Apparently, it’s a Brooklyn-based hipster jewelry boutique/line which is pretty popular with some celebrities. I looked through their Instagram (NSFW) and I did like some of the smaller necklaces. It reminds me a bit of Jennifer Meyer’s celebrity-friendly jewelry line, lots of delicate necklaces and rings, nothing too big or gaudy. Anyway, somehow Ivanka Trump heard of Lady Grey and she ordered an ear cuff. The lady-hipsters at Lady Grey filled her order and sent her the ear cuff… with a personalized note. The ladies also posted a photo of the note on their Instagram:
According to Jezebel, Ivanka ordered an ear cuff that cost $84, so it’s not like Jill and Sabine donated thousands of dollars to “the American Immigration Council, the Everytown for Gun Safety organization, and the Hillary Clinton campaign.” Sure, it’s the thought that counts, and it never hurts to publicly declare that you are NOT standing with Donald Trump. But still… do you think this is rude? I don’t know. It seems like bad business to alienate not just a customer, but a whole other group of people (Republicans). Then again, their business is Brooklyn based, and I doubt they have a big Republican customer base anyway.
Jill and Sabine also spoke to The Cut – you can read what they said here. Basically, they say that they were flattered that Ivanka ordered something but “When we received her order, we instantly felt compelled to take the money and donate it to a few organizations that were more aligned with our ideals.” Sure.
Hilariously, Ivanka and her husband Jared are still on vacation! Her dad’s campaign is in free-fall and Donald just demoted his campaign manager and brought in two new (sketchy) executives… without consulting his family, it seems. And Ivanka is still on vacation. I guess she really doesn’t give a sh-t! She’s currently on a yacht called the Rising Sun, which is owned by David Geffen, one of the Democratic Party’s super-donors and a big Obama-Clinton fan. Geffen rents out his yacht when he’s not using it, which is how Ivanka and Jared ended up off the coast of Croatia on a Democrat’s yacht.
Photos courtesy of Instagram, WENN.
This makes me want to shop at Lady Grey.
I just bought a pair of earrings.
They have a very cool brooch selection for those of us who frequent garden parties and tea rooms.
They have some rad designs and they’re willing to publicly call out a Trump. Count me in.
They have lovely penmanship as well.
I’m now a fan and will make a purchase in a bit.
Brooches! They have a thistle brooch!
The rest of what they have look fairly meh, actually. Not especially my style.
I looked, it seems like department store jewelry. I like jewelry designers with more personality. But I love their Politics!
I am about to check out the website! I enjoy small, dainty jewlery. Let’s see what I can find!
With this level of professionalism? No thanks.
Thank you! Since when is ok to call out or shame a customer publicly for having differing views? This was shameful and extremely unprofessional. And btw I am NOT a Trump supporter or apologist in any way.
Agreed. As much as I dislike the Trumps, it really shows a lack of business ethic to do something like this. Not to mention its super tacky.
The donation isn’t rude. The letter was unnecessary. It’s not her fault who her dad is.
I agree that the letter was rude, but Ivanka is accountable for her own actions and has publicly supported her father and defended his policies. I’d like to think I’d have kept silent if Trump were my father.
Ivanka is accountable for her actions but this is such an obvious PR play by Lady Grey their point gets lost with me.
@megan I agree with you. These kinds of school yard antics are such a turn off. I don’t care what you believe if you’re just going to be rude and ugly in the way you present it.
Have to agree… this is unprofessional. Go ahead and have a public political position. Go ahead and donate your profits, announce your donations, and campaign for a party with your business logo. But there is an expectation of anonymity in purchases… it’s pretty classless to use a celebrity to boost your brand against their will and against their interests. Not cool. Imagine if someone did this to Chelsea Clinton. Would people still be so impressed.
@Megan is right– this was PR move by the jewelry company, and it worked bc we are here talking about them and going to their site to check out their merchandise. Was it professional? Or course not…but I think almost anything goes these days, and they struck while the iron was hot.
As for Trump…gah, I think he knows he’s going to lose. I think he’s planting seeds (by way of discrediting the media, saying elections are rigged, hiring head of Breitbart, etc) to launch a media company/Trump channel to compete with Fox, which makes me shudder with fear…bc I think it would be tremendously successful. He’s found his knucklehead audience, he’s growing it, and he loves the camera and calling the shots… no voters to vote him out, or to be accountable to. I think that’s his pivot and I am sorry for the digression! It’s hard not to talk about Trump. 😛
she’s lining their pockets, they take the opportunity to slam her and then publicize it..
I will NOT be spending any money on these minimally talented, self-important means girls…..
I agree 100%. I’m a Dem and think it’s rude,unprofessional and thirsty. Donate the money, even write to Ivanka–putting it on Instagram? Pretentious hipster PR seeking.
Agreed. Looks like a major PR play, asking for attention. Feel like they could have made a “we don’t support trump” statement w out posting about a specific buyer. Think that’s kind of unprofessional but to each their own.
Brooklyn hipsters, ugh, and I was born and raised in the borough.
Sorry, no matter your politics, this seemed very unprofessional, and quite frankly, immature.
The letter is fine. She introduced him at the Republican National Convention and has spoken for his candidacy repeatedly. If more people and more businesses and more non-profits and more churches and more synagogues spoke out against Trump and everything he stands for, no matter what other people thought, the world would be a better place.
There is an old civil rights song, “It isn’t nice.” (to block the doorway, to go to jail…there are nicer ways to do it, but the nice ways always fail)
Gloves are off people. Time to not be nice. These jewelers were angry, know that she’s made herself a very public figure, and told her what they think of her money. And if anyone has somehow missed it, the right wing in American politics has not been nice for decades.
Strangely, did Lady Grey name itself after the Lady Jane Grey, the doomed Tudor-era teenager forced into a dynastic marriage/power play for the throne and shortly thereafter beheaded? Ivanka should be grateful that if she is being used, she doesn’t run the risk of beheading and those “Second Amendment people” will leave her alone.
I disagree. It’s time TO BE NICE. You don’t have to be rude or hateful In the way you present your beliefs. My mom always says you’ll catch more flies with honey than you will with vinegar. What does either side gain from ignoring the current issues facing the entire country while pointing fingers at how (insert derisive adjectiVe here) the other side is? People want answers. People want to know they’re going to have jobs and health care and that they will be safe when they leave their homes, regardless of your policital convictions. We all want the same things. Uniting and opening a dialogue TOGETHER is the only want to overcome the challenges America is facing. Not dividing along lines and refusing to be nice. The gloves have been off for so long that I fear we don’t know how to be civil any longer.
This is not in defense of Ivanka or meant to be an attack on Lady Grey. Its an assessment of the entire policital process and the fact that this election cycle has devolved into a circus .
The actual note was polite. The questionable part is making it public, but neither act was actually hateful. Trump and his supporters have made it abundantly clear that we do not actually all want the same things, and Trump and his supporters have gloried in hateful attacks.
These jewelers aren’t the people who are divisive.
And yes, it’s a horrible circus, but the right-wing in American politics has been divisive, hateful and obstructive for years, and I can’t fault anyone for calling that out for what it is.
Kate, the time to be nice has passed. And the letter wasn’t nasty at all. They politely declined to take Ivanka’s money becausethe values she promoted don’t align with theirs. The things Ivanka supports by promoting her fathers campaign are much more sinister than a mildly-worded letter.
Either way, the stakes are far too high at this point to worry about being nice. There’s a difference between being real and being hateful, and those of us who enjoy seeing a Trump called out are being real. The Trumps deserve to be called for what they are on every forum possible.
@who are these people I agree COMPLETELY
I don’t see any reasons why we should be nice to people who are NOT going to be nice to us — xenophobic, racist, sexist Trump supporters, including Ivanka. We should express outrage when Trump bashes Mexicans or Muslims for nothing not when his precious little daughter receives shady letters.
No, it’s not time to be nice. It’s time for the Dems to use the scorched earth tactics that the GOP has used for years.
In August of 2004 noted draft dodger GWB smeared the reputation of war hero John Kerry and the Dems did nothing to stop it. And that’s just one example. People like Karl Rove and Roger Ailes didn’t get where they are by being nice. I would rather win ugly than lose pretty.
Sorry I hate all things Trump. He enrages me, scares me, embarrass me but I think we as a country need to listen to Michelle Obama and when they go low (and they are as low as low) we need to go high.
It’s time that we as Americans start to go high and do the right thing, be nice and stand up for the being kind, loving and respectful of each other that is what the ideals of our nation are. If you want to shut a evil racist bully down like Trump you show him that we think he is wrong by not engaging in it.
By the way being nice doesn’t mean inviting the clan to dinner, it means respectfully rejecting these ideas (basically everything you saw at the democratic convention at has Hillary up double digits). It’s about talking ideals and facts and LISTENING without judgment to find common ground.
These women had every right to send the note and refuse her business and honestly the note was very respectful and polite. however, posting it is wrong and if someone did that to Chelsea would you be having the same reaction? They could have privately refused to sell to her.
(Different k from the start of this thread)
I agree with @who are these people. Ivanka could be the new face of totalitarianism. She fully supports her father, who is actually threatening to shut down press organizations who criticize him. I think we should all write notes freely while we can!
“It’s about talking ideals and facts and LISTENING without judgment to find common ground.”
No one on the right is interested in this. They’re actively anti-fact, and they have no interest in common ground. The things Trump is promoting are inherently anti-American ideas; we are literally fighting for the soul and future of our country. We don’t have time to be nice. Niceness accomplishes nothing in the political arena. Niceness is the way of appeasement.
@algernon and who is up by double digits? Who based on current state polling already has the 270 needed for the White House? Oh not the right? It’s because the AMERICAN PEOPLE, reject that way of being and want common sense and to foster our ideals. But they want to be listened to.
Could this tighten up of course but not with hate and mudslinging and behaving like Trump.
But if you want to be one in the same with Trump go for it, but don’t think you have the high ground because you don’t. Hate speech is hate speech.
The reality Hilary got a huge bounce from the convention by highlighting what America is about, by showing all those different ideals coming into a room and having a conversation. By speaking facts and being rational and reflecting what the vast majority of Americans feel.
I’m not saying ignore the hate and redoric I’m saying respond to it with facts, civility and grace and by highlighting how gross it is. Because clearly that is working. Remind everyone constantly that it is a fight for the principles of who we are and do it by showing them who we should be.
Sorry but if Hillary gets in the mud like Donald, I won’t know what to do. I can’t go from the grace, class and dignity of the Obama White House and how the represented our country to someone who would not live up to their standards!
@ K
Whoa, what in this is hate speech? At most it can be argued the shop owners were unprofessional in putting Ivanka on blast like that, but where is the hate speech or mudslinging? There’s no name calling. They just said they donated her money to organizations that counter everything her father stands for, which she has publicly and repeatedly backed herself. I’m not advocating hate speech, I’m saying I’m fine with these shop owners putting that note on Instagram because I think Ivanka deserves to be called out for supporting her father’s demented ideals.
@algeron I meant in general not in their note. The note was polite although the posting it on instagram was unprofessional and not necessary. I was speaking to the idea of not taking the high road and getting in the muck with Trump and Republicans.
I am sorry but I think the “they go low we go high” is an important motto and the people who have done it have made a bigger impact on shaping this race because it reminded Americans/media who we are as a country & made us stand up. Michelle, the Khan family etc.
@ K
Okay well I was just talking about the note, sooooooo
I don’t think we should be using hate speech, but I don’t have any problem on calling trumpians on their BS. Ignoring them will just give them the room to grow and get worse. They should be met with resistance every step of the way. I see this jewelry thing as a step of resistance.
She’s also stated she would be open to a position in the White House (flotus if dear old dad had his way) so she’s as much in the campaign as he is. Plus I believe she will take a shot at politics herself. I think it’s funny. Ten bucks says Ivankas jewellery line features cuffs in the future.
In Ohio, we are of a mixed political belief system, where at parties we actually discuss our choices of candidates and ask others why they support their beliefs, without collar steam.
When a person travels to particular enclaves, where one political belief is so dominant, one can see where some areas have people who can not possibly believe that there are other people who might support another political party.
I had just been to a picnic where a resonable conversation took place with a Republican as to why young people wish to vote for Sanders.
I suspect the area where this jeweler is located is so one party that it doesn’t occur them that there is any other way if thinking.
To me, the letter is unnecessary, but it might be a par for course receipt in Brooklyn.
No, but it is her fault that she has played a big part in his campaign- bigger than all her brothers and sisters and bigger than usual for the daughter of a candidate. I read an article that said she actually pretty much plays the part a wife usually does because she is a better public face than her stepmother. She could have refused to take part or only done the minimal but she went out of her way to support her father and endorsing him.
She’s the Pretty on all things Ugly Trump.
Putting their money where their mouth is – quite literally. I respect that.
No,M they took Ivanka’s money, and then donated it. Not quite the same thing.
She has publicly supported her dad hitler like policies ! So she deserves even worse imo !
But Ivanka has been campaigning for her dad. She has taken a public stand, given interviews, been by his side as much – or more – than his wife. Hers is the only female name Drumpf could come up with when asked which women he’d name to the cabinet. She is as much part of the brand as he is. And if she had no trouble hawking her dresses after the RNC… which she subcontracts overseas… why should a small business be held to a higher standard? They did not share any of her private info – address or CC, just the item she purchased.
I am so tired of everyone playing nice with this lunatic and his family while he and his minions get away with incitement to public unrest, actively encouraging interfering with voting, alluding to assassinating his competitor and all the rest.
She’s defended him in the press (he supports women! he’s pro family!) so yeah she deserves it. Let’s not forget she’s already looking for a corner office at the White House because daddy dearest will elect her to his cabinet.
Ivanka and her brothers and father have been Democrats up until this election. New York Democrats, mind you. Michael Moore wrote an interesting piece about whether Trump is really in this to win this, and whether he actually believes half the things he flamboyantly says to rally the troops and fire up the base. (Are his supporters being played?)
–TheRealPinky
Trump and his father (and now Trump and his kids) have always been racist. It’s more likely he believes whatever he says at the moment, most of it is racist and sexist and stupid (because he’s racist and sexist and stupid), and he is animalistic about competition.
The fact that she easily stopped supporting Democrats speaks volumes — these people are privileged enough to not care who wins so they can switch if convenient
Trump believes it, he is a racist that is why Giulianni loves him so much. That is why he just brought on the brightbaught guy who has white nationalists working on the site.
He believes it.
@ Pinky: I realize I’m probably going to get in a lot of trouble on here for saying this…but I’ve always believed that Trump was a plant or a foil whose job it is to make sure Hillary Clinton is elected. He’s just too absurd to be a real-deal candidate for the Presidency. After all, the Clintons attended Trump’s (most recent) wedding, and Trump has donated to BC Presidential campaign, and if I’m not mistaken, HC’s Senatorial campaign. Just because it sounds too conspiratorial doesn’t mean there aren’t actual conspiracies taking place.
Soooo, I actually don’t agree with this type of marketing. I don’t think Ivanka should have been put on public blast like that, regardless who her father is or who she supports. To me, I would be hesitant to shop at a store who is willing to publicly shame their clients, who should have at least a shred of privacy over their ordering habits.
Maybe if they said something to the lure customers like, mention the Ivanka shaming and we will send your proceeds to a cause. Or they could have, you know, just donated the money, sent Ivanka the note and then left it at that.
The public shaming just doesn’t sit well. The company is patting their back way too hard.
Also, if Chelsea Clinton was the buyer and the seller decided to donate the proceeds to the NRA and write a note to that effect, we wouldn’t be celebrating it. I try to hold both sides to the same standard.
I agree. A private purchase from a store is just that: a private transaction between the customer and the vendor. This just has a nasty smell of virtue signalling about it. I don’t like the Trump dynasty, but this just strikes me as not really classy or professional behaviour. (and I realise that the Trumps are neither classy nor engage in professional behaviour, but I just think the store acted like a smart-ass toddler and were out of line here).
I agree. That note should’ve been Ivanka’s to post or not. She made a purchase as a private citizen. We’re telling on and shaming each other in public now? This has the markings of a very scary time.
–TheRealPinky
+1, Little Darling.
Ahh, not exactly. When notable people (women) wear things in public, the designers are typically mentioned. If it were my line, I would be CERTAIN the public knew she purchased it and was NOT donated by me, as it customarily the case. They had to protect their brand, and what they did is spot on.
Protect their brand? No one knew who they were until Ivanka bought something and they decided to blast her. It’s not like Van Cleef, Swarovski, Tiffany etc., something everyone knows. What they did it rude and petty. Donate the proceeds, but keep it to yourself. Such an obvious ploy for attention.
Trust me I get that I am a buyer and lived through the Palin debacle. But they could have simply sent her a note refusing to sell to her. They could just not fill the order or take her money. They didn’t have to publically do this.
I laughed at the note and but it is still wrong and as a person in retail/fashion it was unprofessional.
Yeah I completely agree with you, Little Darling.
I have to admit, the note made me chuckle.. but the fact that they made it public is what leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Yep, Kitten, I’ve gotta agree.
Dude I laughed so hard and soooo badly wanted to be petty and feel good about it. I even browsed their website.
But as a business owner myself, I would never put any of my awful clients on blast. Not even the douche famous ones, and trust there are PLENTY!
Just bad business IMO, but a point made. So like I would high five them, and then chastise them. (;
I have to agree. I loathe Trump and even though her shoes are cute, I can’t bring myself to my Ivanka’s, but I think this sort of public shaming is more about wanting publicity than anything else.
Perfect. If they really want to talk about the issues, can someone please ask their thoughts on gentrification?
Lol, that’s exactly what I thought when I read the headline
Right? Brooklyn is now unaffordable unless you make well into the high 6 figures to buy or rent with 4 other people.
This is self- righteous, and being used to their own advantage.
I agree. The letter itself was fine, but publicizing it was just plain rude.
Whatever happened to “When they go low, we go high”?
It’s a lot easier to go high when you’re the President of the United States.
Well stated. I agree, and appreciate your comparison scenario with Chelsea Clinton/NRA. The fact that Lady Jane may generate business from this seems to (like Trump himself) cater to snotty impulses.
+1 making it public was very unprofessional. No one I know is voting trump- my friends are somewhat to very liberal, and very strong feminists. They were all upset about this last night on the grounds of privacy breach, unprofessional, and the public tearing down of women by a female-owned business.
They weren’t tearing down women as a whole. They were letting the public know where they donated the proceeds from a sale to a very public figure — a public figure whose father is running for president in a campaign that would start tearing down women in public and private on Day One.
” and the public tearing down of women by a female-owned business.”
Ugh. Really? So now we’re obligated to support all other women no matter what? No matter who they are or what they do?
God, this Taylor Swift brand of “feminism” is so annoying.
I’m with you +1
As much as I despise Trump and side-eye Ivanka, I agree with you 100 percent. Self-righteousness always leaves a bad taste in my mouth, no matter who’s doing it or for what reason.
Agreed
The letter was nice.
Ivanka is actively campaigning for her demon father.
She probably has gotten worse messages.
+1
I used to like Ivanka as someone who could have been a Paris Hilton type and instead is a business woman. But this campaign….I wouldn’t buy anything with her name on it. Done with her.
@Danielle, thank you, I feel the same way too. Her father goes around bullying everyone and make nasty comments about anyone that calls him out and she stands behind her father despite all the nasty things he says, especially about other women.
A taste of their own medicine? Not exactly, the store did it with class.
It might be unprofessional to some, but this is not a big corporation, it’s a small business and they did not break any rules nor did not deny service
Haha sure it’s classy compared to Donald trump. But that’s a. Very low bar and overall it was not really done “with class.”
In defense of her vacation- it’s not like she’s running for president. I’d probably bounce too if my dad was constantly doing stuff that caused me to defend him on tv over and over again. She has her own career and family, and she probably REALLY needs a break.
Nobody “caused her” to defend him, she is an adult with free will and she has zero obligation to him if she does not believe in what he’s doing. Do we believe that she needs to still obey the patriarch? Either she does and that’s an antiquated notion, or she doesn’t and she does support him. And you can’t separate supporting the father from supporting what he’s doing in this case.
I wonder if she is really on vacation at all. I suspect she’s doing the trip for damage control–to look like she hasn’t a care in the world, while actually teleconferencing with Dr. Evil from the yacht the whole time. Ivanka and her siblings are not going to let go of the chance to monetize the presidency of the U.S. if they have half a chance.
Tacky. If we’re going to complain about the level of political respect and discourse, then we have to do something about it. When they go low, we go high, remember? Also, the company taking the sale and then releasing this image is what drives this over to tacky-land. In the Bush years a lot of artists declined to perform for Bush dinners at the White House; obviously we learned about it, but I think what made that different was that news came quietly and secondhand.
Using this as promotion? Yuck.
+1 Really really tacky for any business to publicize what a private citizen buys from them.
Agreed – tacky, unprofessional and childish.
what is “celebrity-friendly jewelry”? is that like gluten free?
I don’t know about the jewelry, but I do know a gluten-free diet is medically necessary for hundreds of thousands of people with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten intolerance.
There’s no medication and no other treatment. Un-managed celiac is associated not only with malnutrition, osteoporosis, anemia and other chronic conditions, but also a higher rate of lymphoma. So, I tend to speak up whenever it’s tossed in as a joke.
People who eat gluten-free as part of a “health trend,” eh, they’re not hurting anybody. They’ll probably quit fairly soon because it’s difficult, expensive and nutritionally deficient. The plus side is their dollars are bringing a lot better gluten-free food onto the market, so I thank them for that. What I don’t appreciate is waiters asking diners who need to avoid wheat, rye and barley if “it’s, like, real celiac or not.” I can’t imagine someone with diabetes asking about sugar content being asked whether their diabetes is, like, real or how serious it is. Or asking someone with a stated peanut allergy, “Well, how bad is it, will you die or just get a few hives?”
My cousin has celiac, and last year she and her husband ate at a Mexican place, and my cousin asked if the tortilla chips were absolutely gluten free, and was assured, by the owner, that they were. They were traveling. After lunch, they went to the airport for their flight home. My cousin spent the entire 90-minute flight in the bathroom vomiting violently. The owner had failed to consider that they also fry their chimichangas in the same oil. So, just that slight transfer in the oil had my cousin down for several days. So, I’m so with you when people roll their eyes as if it’s only a fad. Plus, the reason so many are gluten sensitive is because over the last couple of decades, we’ve begun cooking less, and food companies found out how heavy and cheap gluten is, and thus began putting it in everything. I won’t buy food with gluten in it if it doesn’t belong there. Why in the hell is there gluten in cheese, for f’s sake?!
While it varies by state, here in MA, restaurants must post notices that customers should inform the staff of food allergies, if an allergy is identified, there are laws about how the kitchen must prepare the food.
Waiters ask that because they are trying to HELP you.
Some things are gluten-free enough for someone who chooses that diet, but not safe for someone with celiac. Just like if someone says “no peanuts” or “no cheese” a waiter asks if it’s an allergy or a preference. These people could be horribly allergic to peanuts and dairy or fine with peanut oils or casein but choose not to eat nuts or dairy. Someone with celiac needs to be alerted that the fryer oil may be contaminated while someone choosing to live gluten-free wouldn’t care about that. I worked at a pizza place that had gluten-free crust, but we HAD to ask if the person asking for it had celiac to we could alert them to the fact that due to the amount of flour in the air, the chances of cross-contamination were high. Trying to help them avoid injury, not rolling our eyes at “fake allergies.”
Waiters ask that because they are trying to HELP you.
Some things are gluten-free enough for someone who chooses that diet, but not safe for someone with celiac. Just lie if someone says “no peanuts” or “no cheese” a waiter asks if it’s an allergy or a preference. These people could be horribly allergic to peanuts or dairy or fine with peanut oils or casein but choose not to eat nuts or dairy. I worked at a pizza place that had gluten-free crust, but we HAD to ask if the person asking for it had celiac to we could alert them to the fact that due to the amount of flour in the air, the chances of cross-contamination were high. Trying to help them avoid injury, not rolling our eyes at “fake allergies.”
@Red someone in the UK died because their takeaway order was prepped with nuts/nut oil despite him specifically asking for no nuts due to an allergy. He wasn’t taken seriously, he died and the takeaway owner was jailed for causing his death. Allergies are not to be messed with.
This made me chuckle – didn’t feel a need to “school” you on a joke … 😉
I know, and I don’t usually, but somewhere among readers is a waiter or a friend who will be dealing with this some time in the coming week, and maybe this information will help them know how to approach the situation.
I used to be a waitress and management would have us ask a guest if they have an allergy or just an aversion to gluten. The answer determines the handling and cooking process for the chef’s knowledge. If It’s an allergy the handling is Totally different.
My friend has celiac and you’re 100%. She can’t have any contract with gluten–different preparation entirely including utensils, grills, etc. she had cross contamination at a hibachi place once and her stomach blew up like she was six months pregnant.
Except the education needs to explain that gluten intolerance is not an “allergy.” Celiac is an auto immune disease. Both are medical conditions, but they’re different. The chef should not be making the decision; the customer should.
This is why a lot of people with non-celiac gluten intolerance (same symptoms) are telling waiter they are celiac: It should not be up to the wait staff or chef to decide “how much” gluten is “safe.” As someone described above, ingestion might not kill someone, but can take two to three deeply unpleasant days out of their life.
Imagine getting “food poisoning” over and over and over again, unpredictably, and paying $20-40 for each episode, plus tip.
The way they are asking the question is the problem, it makes it sound as though they assume if we don’t have celiac then we’re just being faddish or out problem with a food is “all in our head”. Food “preferences” are to be taken seriously. Don’t add a little meat to a vegetarian’s sauce because it’s “just a preference”…. People may have various degrees of intolerance or allergy to specific foods or they may just feel better if they don’t eat a specific food too often without knowing why. They might need strict avoidance, or they may not. It’s very individual.
The proper question to ask is if they need celiac-level avoidance of gluten (some allergics can also be very sensitive) or if they are ok with traces of gluten that might be there due to other food prep. That will tell them what they need to know without inadvertently insulting the customer.
Their company, they can do as they please.
It got them PR, so it worked for them: (A) Hey, looked who ordered from us! (B). But see, we don’t like the celeb’s politics, but C. hey, look! A celeb ordered from us!
So they make bank on two levels. Marketing.
My other thought: what are the politics /social views /human rights stances of the people from whom they buy their black bags and boxes? And note paper? And silver? Going all on in what we do business with is another way to effect change.
Given that her father has made it clear that, if elected President, he somehow intends to force private retailers to wish customers “Merry Christmas” on every transaction, even if neither the shop owner, the employee, and the customer are clearly not Christian and are purchasing items to wear to a funeral, I’m fine with them giving back to Ivanka as he would do to them.
Oh dear Lilac, this brings back memories of the early 2000s, a friend started whining to me about how “they” were “forcing” Macy’s to wish people Happy Holidays. The funny thing is, I’m Jewish and she knew it. So I guess I would have been one of “them” but somehow she couldn’t see it. Must have been the heyday of Bill O’Reilly and the War on Christmas.
And I agree. Do unto others. : )
Again, I think they should do as they please. Making a statement of what they think, no one is getting hurt and it’s their business and their right to say “I am going to give your money to a group and maybe this will make you think twice” etc. I also think it is ludicrous to force retailers or anyone to say Merry Christmas or Happy Halloween etc. !!!
My point is that still, it IS marketing.
My other point is that maybe it’s worthwhile to kind of look into who they/we do business with all along the chain and use a business platform to effect or speak up as we can. The way some retailers won’t stock items made in sweatshops, etc Like, if you can make a statement this way, and get press for doing so, okay, can you use that platform even further. Don’t drop the mic just here. Like, “We also order our beautiful bags and silver from Mexico or China, but we make sure they are made fairly” etc…they can use this to stand for broader things their customers would respond to (like Tom’s, for example, if you see what I mean.)
It may turn off some clients too. Overalls the exposure would probably be a plus. Personally it turns me off though. It doesn’t make me feel secure that they’d be discrete about my purchase, which is something I’ve never even considered. Also it’s preachy. Reminds me of my kids (public, Canadian) school. Not only do they want donations, but they promote political protests outside elected officials offices! Even though I probably have the same political tastes I found that too pushy. Imagine how it would feel to have different political tastes, donate to the school, and then be urged to protest a person you voted for. It’s crossing my line in the sand
Hi Fiorella – no kidding, they promoted political protest? Was it about a specific issue or were they teaching the general right to protest as part of a civics discussion?
I am in Canada and didn’t experience that, but my kid did learn that she has the right to protest.
When we lived in the American South, there was tremendous pressure in the other direction, to support the Republican Party and its causes, and to be a church-going Christian. We were aghast. I agree that schools need to teach the system, teach rights and freedoms, and then stay out of it.
All of the silver I use in making is recycled and my diamonds are conflict free. It matters. My boxes are recycled, also.
I think that’s wonderful, Sarah, and I know my friends and I always pay attention to that; I hope more people will consider that when shopping for jewelry.
Rude? Maybe. Ballsy? Absolutely. Good PR? Heck yes. Lots of people will give them a look now, out of principle.
Putting that note up on Insta is tacky and thirsty af.
+1 – since when do business owners shame customers for a purchase?
They didn’t shame for a purchase, and say she bought badly. They said they saw a better use for her money in the political spheres, given her political involvement.
Good to know she has time to order ear cuffs, what with the kids, campaigning and the business.
Are people not allowed to shop because they have a business/kids?
If I was Lady Grey, I’d be more worried that Ivanka would plagiarize my design and do a bunch of cheap knock off junk in China!
I feel like that’s EXACTLY why she bought it. I honestly thought that was what the story was going to be about. Would’ve been a better story for them, IMO.
–TheRealPinky
That was my first thought badrockandroll – we are going to see cheap knock offs by Ivanka in 10, 9, 8…. Has anyone noticed how her feet fit in her Ivanka high heels? I saw pics of them traipsing around that golf course in Scotland and her feet slid to the front of the shoe with the back of the shoe empty, it looked so bad. When your toes spill onto the ground and there’s a half an inch at the back of the shoe you know it’s a badly designed shoe.
or she has badly designed feet… much like her father’s teensy little elf hands.
Meow.
China is quick with the knock-offs, it’s probably already for sale on Amazon.
What’s that saying…there are two types of businesses, those whose websites have been hacked by China, and those who don’t know their websites have been hacked by China.
That is something I would have joked about wanting to do, but never would’ve actually done. While it will certainly bring them a flood of PR, it’s just kind of petty and unnecessary. If they felt the need to communicate their feelings to Ivanka, they could’ve done so privately, but even that might’ve been overstepping.
Besides, I bet Ivanka will secretly vote for Hillary.
I bet her father will secretly vote for Clinton because he’s a rhino.
ITA
I don’t have a issue with the note. I have a issue with putting it on Instagram and publically shaming someone and using them for free publicity. It’s tacky.
She just got a taste of her daddies own medicine! He’s been doing/saying this kind of stuff since day one!
Ivanka has publicly supported and campaigned for her hateful, violence-inciting psychopath of a father, she deserves to be put on blast. Good for this company, I’m gonna go buy something from them right now.
I agree with you. She’s not entirely a private citizen anymore. Yes, I’m uncomfortable with their revealing her specific purchase (maybe they didn’t have to do that), but the Republicans have violated women’s right to privacy in far worse ways over the past decades.
So two wrongs make a right now? I don’t want my rights to privacy violated. I don’t want that bigot to get elected. I want him to go back under a rock but I can’t scream about my rights being violated and cheer for someone else’s being violated.
Her privacy was not violated. They didn’t publish her address or contact information or credit card number. They published a note *they* wrote on *their* social media account about a public transaction. Again, you can argue that it’s unprofessional, but there’s no rights violation here. Even saying what she bought, specifically, isn’t a violation (though I understand why some don’t like broadcasting that detail). It’s a publicly available item. The only right to privacy she has it to not have her bank/credit card information revealed.
This is really no different than if they had posted a photo of the ear cuff she bought and said, “Wow, Ivanka Trump bought this item! We’re so excited to provide this to her!” The only reason people are balking at all is because what they posted was a slightly jeering note with a nyah-nyah-nyah playground tone. It’s the pettiness that’s at issue, not any kind of violation.
ETA: If you have a cell phone and/or social media account and/or email address, congratulations, your privacy is gone. We do not have privacy anymore. It is well and truly invaded by our own government and we’ve agreed to go along with that for the convenience.
I agree K. Reminds me of the time Jezebel published Amy Pascal’s Amazon purchases. It is not illegal to reveal her ear cuffs orders but it is not right.
Yes not right. Private transaction. You have a right to believe what you believe and I have a right to as well and we don’t have to force opinions during consumer business transactions.
But they didn’t force their opinion on her. They did provide the goods. It’s not like the fundamentalist Christian bakers who refuse to bake wedding cakes for same-sex couples, or that clerk who wouldn’t prepare marriage licenses. They simply said, in a public way, we took Ivanka’s money but decided to do something with it to support *our* beliefs,” and then they went public. But she got her ear cuff.
It’s also not a private transaction. It’s a public business selling an advertised item. Private transactions are like if you bought your parents’ house without a realtor, or paid cash for your neighbor’s car. People go their whole lives without ever actually conducting a private sale. Your purchases aren’t actually privileged information, which is why one of the first things investigators like to obtain when investigating a crime is itemized receipts, to see where a suspect has been and what they were doing there.
People have no real understanding of privacy rights in the US, how thin they really are and how much is already gone.
ETA: This is why gun-rights people want to keep sales legal at gun shows. A cash transaction between two people with no registered business address is a private transaction, which means it doesn’t have to be itemized on either side. There’s no way to track who has what or where it’s coming from or going. Whereas if you buy a gun in a store, that’s a public sale, and all you need to trace it is to ask the business owner for their sales record. You *might* need a warrant depending on state laws, but they’re very easy to get because there’s no expectation of privacy during a public sale (anyone can walk in and see what you’re buying). Source: my husband the federal agent.
It actually has a privacy component to it. They have a stated privacy policy and they violated it. So yeah, what they did was wrong, unethical, and could be lawsuit worthy (though it really wouldn’t be worth it). (source – I sleep with an attorney)
No they didn’t. I read their policy and all they’re obligated to protect is contact info and banking info, which is standard in retail. They did not reveal either. The object of purchase itself is not protected information. There’s nothing suit-worthy. Again, you can think it’s tacky all day long, but they didn’t break any laws or violate anything.
They most certainly did violate her privacy and their own policy.
“If we ask for your personal information for a secondary reason, like marketing, we will either ask you directly for your expressed consent, or provide you with an opportunity to say no.”
This relates only to personal information. They mean they won’t sell your contact info to a third party, like a marketing firm that sends out junk mail. This regards stores asking for phone numbers/zip codes and how you end up on cold calling lists. It has nothing to do with acknowledging that a particular person bought something from them.
Algernon is correct. “Marketing” means marketing products to you by sending you e-mail, snail mail, phone calls etc. It does not refer to never telling anybody what you bought from them as long as you don’t reveal contact or financial information. Google is constantly aiming ads at me based on what I’ve bought recently online. Spooky and Big-Brotherish but I assume it’s legal.
You’re both wrong. What I buy online is personal.
Google aims ads at you based on your searches, not your purchases and you use Google knowing they do that. BTW, they do not publish your personal searches to the public.
Yes, Google is tracking your searches and tailors ads accordingly, but no, what you buy online isn’t personal, either. It just *feels* more anonymous because there’s no “surprise!” public aspect of someone walking up to you while you’re making that purchase. But again, in online shopping, the only protected information is contact info and financial details. What gives you the illusion of secrecy in online shopping is that because online merchants often store those details alongside order histories (like on Amazon), the purchases are more “hidden”, but they’re not really. If I bought something on Etsy, say, the seller would be perfectly within her rights to post a photo of the thing I bought with a note reading, “I hope Algernon likes her new X!” She couldn’t give out my contact info, but she’s under no obligation to pretend like she doesn’t have customers.
Also, Google may not be publishing your searches, but they are handing that info over to the government daily, and they do sell it to third parties, over and over and over again. You have no privacy online. Do not kid yourself.
I still don’t think this will prevent Ivanka from doing a rip-off for her sleazy brand. I have no problem with what the women did. Can you imagine what we’re all in for now that Donald has chosen 2 right wing staffers to drag Hillary through the streets? The campaign and the family are coarse, gross and shameless. How does Donald make 39 million for his failed casinos in which many employees and investors lost money? How does he declare bankruptcy 4 times and walk away with millions as he ditches his creditors? This is in-your-face hucksterism and blatant corruption. The American people have been too timid and tolerant of the Trump sham.
We need to kick him the hell out of our good graces. He’s a national embarrassment and he must be rejected firmly from politics. It’s time to take the gloves off.
I just read a NYT article about his tax bill to the state of NJ. While he was still collecting big money from his failed casino, he ended up only paying $5 million out of a $30 million tax bill. Not surprisingly, Chris Christie was involved. The same Christie who has vilified teachers for years, saying they’re the problem. Most teachers I know don’t get to skip out on $25 million in taxes.
There always has to be one….guess it is me. I wonder how long it took the jeweler to contact the Clinton foundation and tell them about her order? I bet they got tons of money to release this to the bias press.
Well, thank goodness there’s only one this time.
This fixation on the Clinton Foundation has to stop. If something were rotten in it, we would know by now. The rest is just smears and innuendo.
As for the “bias press,” yes, Sarah Palin, the press has a bias — for facts. If it fell down on the job the past decade or so, it was to favor the right wing due to corporate ownership and concentration of ownership. It’s really ignorant to believe the “mainstream media” has a liberal bias when its owners are corporate titans focused on quarterly earnings. It leaned the other way years ago.
+1
Yep.
Why would they contact the Clinton Foundation? Do you mean the Clinton campaign? They are separate. I’m sure the Clinton campaign would be happy to accept the donation but would care nothing about Ivanka’s jewelry purchases. And I’m fed up with self-proclaimed “fiscal conservatives” wasting my tax dollars on investigations of the Clintons that reveal only that the self-proclaimed “fiscal conservatives” love to waste my tax dollars.
I’m going to laugh so hard when Trump goes down as the biggest loser in American history. That will be his legacy.
The Clinton Foundation is a legitimate charity and is not connected with Hillary’s campaign. They have actually been careful to avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest when she has been Secretary of State, for instance, by severely limiting the amounts of donations allowed from foreign governments for international projects. Don’t pay attention to the ridiculous smears coming from Trump and others like him. They are baseless.
I doubt very much that the Clinton campaign was interested in paying the jewelers anything either or telling them to be public about it. People do such things spontaneously for their own reasons. You might as well claim that a Trump supporter has to be on Trump’s payroll if they say anything in public – he wouldn’t waste his money, people who do like him will volunteer their supportive comments all on their own.
I like it when people who act shitty get called out in front of God and errybody for acting shitty. And anyone who publicly supports Trump *should* get called right the hell out. Ivanka Trump can’t help who her father is, and she is entitled to think and/or do as she will, but I guess so does everyone else including the owners of that business.
As Larry Wilmore said some time recently, “At this point, if you vote for Donald Trump, you’re a dick.”
They didn’t call Ivanka names, they simply told her what they did with the proceeds of the sale.
The sticking point is whether they should have made that public, but of all the offensive things being said these days, theirs is very low on the scale.
It’s just an argument over whether or not you think the Insta post itself is tacky.
I think it’s good PR idea for them. Gives them hipster points and makes them look so so “edgy” lol. No sympathy for Ivanka at all. Hope she’s embarrassed. She is/was a huge part of helping her psycho dad’s image and campaign since she is the only good looking and relatively “normal” adult child he has. and she helped humanize him at the start, although he squandered it every five seconds by saying he wanted to bang her.
These Brooklyn jewelers lost me with the donation to Hillary’s campaign though. She’s a total war criminal.
They had a celebrity or public figure buy their product. This would have been no different than them putting up a photo of person wearing the product, as they took another approach with promoting their product. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea but I do not believe it was completely over the line.
it’s a violation of privacy. She more than likely did not give consent for this.
They did not release private information like her address or cc number.
It doesn’t matter because it’s a public store. They only thing they’re bound to protect is her banking/credit card info. There’s no privacy about *what* you’re buying in a public store. Would the shopkeeper lurch to protect your purchase from the eyes of whoever walked into the store as they rang you up? No.
No. They used her for “marketing” purposes without getting her consent. That is a violation of the privacy policy. There was no legal reason to release her name as a purchaser, therefore her privacy was violated according to their very own policy. But hey, what do I know? I’m just taking my husband’s word for it. He only went through all those years of law school and 25 years of practice. *shrugs*
As they’re not providing her contact information, I’m not seeing how they’re violating their policy. Marketing is only referenced in regards to using their contact information, and they’re not broadcasting that. The fact that she bought something from their store is not protected. The fact that they pointed out that she bought something from their store is not a violation.
I have mixed feelings. Maybe it would have been better if they didn’t name her but revealed they had felt the need to make those donations when recently they had an order from a famous person who has been promoting xxx (listing the things they find objectionable). It’s a legitimate way to deal with such conflicts of conscience and it’s OK to talk about it in public. I’ve had to turn down jobs because of the source myself (I refuse to work on military contracts except when directly concerning disarmament through a trusted intermediary who knows my objections – that’s a big issue in my areas of specialization as a translator, so much is funded by such contracts). Making donations to offset the tainted money is another option.
The only thing that seems off to me is revealing a customer’s name and purchase. But I do think they had a gut reaction to the order and they may not have thought that aspect through. Considering how much harm Ivanka has been promoting (she is not an innocent bystander in her father’s campaign but rather a willing participant), I can forgive that. They felt a need to publicly repudiate the Trump campaign and went for it. I imagine they realized it would offend some potential customers, but it also may clearly show solidarity with others badly affected by the Trump campaign rhetoric. This is a very weird election and Trump has been promoting such dangerous ideas and actions, I can’t really fault someone for being so public about it.
Hmmm……Hipster Brooklyn jewelers? A billionaire’s daughter? Snarky handwritten notes posted on Instagram??
Sounds like trust-fund-baby on trust-fund-baby violence to me.
The trust fund baby community needs to come out strong against this senseless mayhem! 🙂
LOL! Thank you!
So petty. She should return the item. I’d never do business with a company who so PUBLICLY shames me.
Yes, also sounds like they were never face to face with Ivanka? She placed an order and then they sent the note with the ordered item to her. Not particularly brave to lash out to a customer via the internet instead of speaking their mind to her directly.
Maybe they could donate something to a charity for women who have been abused or mistreated, on behalf of the male component of the Clinton Foundation? If Ivanka is fair game because of her dad, Billy should be fair game too, right? Or does his misdeeds get a pass? Lots of women in his wake that would probably disagree.
This business has a posted privacy policy which its owners have violated. Very, very poor business practice. If they’ll sell out this customer to enhance their marketing position what else are they doing with their customer’s private information? They certainly aren’t behaving in an ethical manner to inspire trust or even meeting the minimum standards of their own supposed values.
She’ll probably sue them, and be within her rights.
I despise Trump and Ivanka is her father’s handmaiden. But this is just really bad business practice. You don’t out your customers, and then shame them. I’ve sold stuff to some very famous peop,e and I don’t even mention their names in my PR.
No they didn’t. I read it. They didn’t reveal any personal info and they don’t have to protect the object of sale. They just have to not broadcast contact info or banking info. They did neither thing.
You are mistaken. Her name and the fact that she purchased an item from this business are both protected under the business’ posted privacy policy. They do not have the right to use her name, purchase, or any other personal information for marketing or publicity without her express permission. These are irresponsible, untrustworthy business owners.
No I’m not. Someone else has the exact language posted above but it says only *personal information*. That just means they won’t sell customers’ contact info to third parties (although most retailers interpret it broadly to mean that if they ask for your phone number, and you give it, they can sell it, since you had the option to decline to provide the information on the spot).
Purchases are *not* private and neither is the information that you frequent specific businesses. “Personal information” means banking/credit card numbers, and your home address. It does not mean that they’re operating their business under a veil of secrecy and can never acknowledge who their customers are. (That’s especially ridiculous for the fashion industry that relies so heavily on customer promotion.) There’s no expectation of privacy in retail because anyone can walk by and see you shopping. That’s why, say, sex shops black out their windows, so that at least then someone has to walk in themselves to snoop on who’s buying vibrators. But the fact that you are a customer of a store is not privileged information and never has been. If they had put her address on that card, then they’d be in trouble. But pointing out that Ivanka Trump bought something from them is not violating anything, except perhaps good taste.
Purchases are most certainly private. You are mistaken.
If she was seen in a store buying something or someone recognized it when she wore it, that’s entirely different. Retailers are guided by Fair Information Practice legislation. “Information collected by an individual cannot be disclosed to other organizations or individuals unless specifically authorized by law or by consent of the individual”
Outrageous for a retailer to publicly disclose the identity of a purchaser.
That applies to contact/banking information not your actual purchase. The reason retailers have personal information disclosures is because retail in and of itself is a *public* activity. “Information collected” is your address, phone number, etc. It is not the fact that you bought earrings. What.you.buy.is.not.private.
Also, the fact that she *could* be seen by someone purchasing something in a store is the entire reason the expectation of privacy doesn’t exist. People can see you buying stuff, therefore, you can’t expect privacy while buying stuff. That’s how the expectation of privacy works.
That’s so silly. Because I go to a public store, the retailer has a right to out my purchases? Ridiculous. They can tell people what medication I buy or sex toys or swimsuits?
In fact, if the police wanted to know what my purchases are they would need a warrant.
Medicinal purchases are protected under a healthcare law. But that’s the only thing.
If you bought a swimsuit, the authorities would need a warrant to obtain your credit card information. But they could walk right up to the counter and say, “Did that person buy this swimsuit?” and the seller could say, “Yep,” and there’s no violation taking place.
The issue isn’t a legal one, it’s a moral one. Sellers “outing” purchases can be seen as tacky and unprofessional, but it’s not illegal. Look at a store’s Insta and see how many photos they post with notes about people buying certain objects. It’s how they show what’s popular and drum up business. They just can’t tell people where you live or your credit card number. They’re under no obligation to deny you shop at their store.
ETA: This kind of stuff is exactly why people don’t understand how little privacy we truly have.
I work in marketing. Any guest or customer that is used in a marketing or social media post signs and Indemnity and Release form.
And, it can be very easily argued that they used and association with her brand image to further their own.
None of that would illegal. Sellers are not prohibited from advertising that they have customers! I bought my wedding dress on Etsy and the seller posted a photo of it packed in the dress box and captioned the photo, “Congratulations, Algernon, I hope you love the dress!” I didn’t sign sh-t for that, but I also don’t care because my privacy isn’t in question. The fact that I bought a dress isn’t a secret. Same for Ivanka and her ear cuff. The purchase itself is not a secret. They didn’t use her image or her company name. “Associating with her brand” is really stretching it because they’re making no attempt to paint this as any kind of sponsorship or endorsement. They’re just pointing out that Ivanka bought an item from them, which is.not.a.secret.
At worst, the store did something tacky and unprofessional, but they’re not violating sh-t. They have a photo of Beyonce on their Insta wearing some of their jewelry. I cross-checked it, it’s just a paparazzi photo. Are they violating Beyonce’s privacy because they drew attention to her wearing their jewelry? No!
I am going to purchase something from them right now.
I see nothing wrong w/their letter of “thanks” LOL!
Me either!!!!!
First of all, I’m voting 3rd party and cannot possibly support Trump,or Clinton.
That out of the way — I think it is deplorable behavior. They used a customer for purposes that are petulant and unprofessional. THey took her order and her money and then put her on public blast ……looking to build notoriety for doing so.
The question of customer privacy, what are their policies, and did they violate them is one for the legal eagles. But I’ll be sure to never buy from them.
I won’t ever buy from them (and I’m a Johnson girl have been Libertarian for awhile now) because they violated their customer privacy policies (I gave them a quick glance so I may have missed something). That is unprofessional.
Both of you!
Suddenly, I’m not so different…. I thought I was the only third party person on Earth.
I think there are more of us than you realize. We just keep,it on the DL because we are sick and damn tired of hearing from both sides that a 3rd party vote is a vote for their enemy and if we vote 3rd party it’s our fault that LUcifer / Lucifer In A Skirt got elected.
I see it as snarky but only because they mention the HRC campaign donation. It would have been classier to only mention the other two to get their point across
Classless and unprofessional, just like the rest of Hilary supporters.
If you truly believed the sentiments of the first part of your sentence you would have put a period after the word unprofessional.
Classy is a word that shouldn’t be used by Drumpf supporters. Bye.
That literally made me LOL. It’s time you turned off Fox News.
I’m with you, Rada! Thank you for saying what most of us think. I’m also sick of Keisers political views being the forefront of every post (liberal, we get it) but don’t slam those of us that think differently!
This is amazing ! i will definitely purchase items from them !
As a small business owner myself, I don’t find this funny or commendable. I would never publicly shame a customer of mine because they held political views opposite of mine.
I also find it unprofessional that they would reveal who their clients are in general, famous or not. Unless you have their permission, you should never reveal or discuss your clients publicly……losing the trust of your clients can destroy your business.
This whole stunt would make me think twice before buying anything from Lady Gray.
And my good people please, it’s not like Ivanka is the daughter of Pol Pot or Vlad the Impaler…..you may find her father’s politics reprehensible but she’s a consumer like all of us and this is not how to run a business.
if our economy were run solely on businesses serving people whose politics they agree with we’d have a country where it is acceptable for a small business to refuse to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple, but we rightfully denounce those businesses, just like we should denounce Lady Gray for what they did here.
Thank you.
+1
I agree. I have sold to famous people, I’ve done it in my other business for years, and I would never reveal who they are and what they bought….ever. Maybe write her a private nite, but this is just market-who don’t. And I dislike Ivanka.
@craig
+1
Total mean girl act.
From their privacy policy:
SECTION 2 – CONSENT
How do you get my consent?
When you provide us with personal information to complete a transaction, verify your credit card, place an order, arrange for a delivery or return a purchase, we imply that you consent to our collecting it and using it for that specific reason only.
If we ask for your personal information for a secondary reason, like marketing, we will either ask you directly for your expressed consent, or provide you with an opportunity to say no.
SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE
We may disclose your personal information if we are required by law to do so or if you violate our Terms of Service.
According to the attorney husband, this includes the fact that she made any purchase at all. So yeah, not cool.
Agree. Narrow minded, arrogant girls, who don’t understand their own business, or business at all for that matter. But this is also about common decency. They probably think of themselves as ballsy and clever, but no, it’s just plain dumb and unnecessary.
This note is typical of this day and age: rude, yet self-congratulatory. Smug and pointless. Wouldn’t buy from these assholes anyway because I don’t wear jewelry.
And their jewelry looks like Made in China jewelry store jewelry with no personality at all. Dull.
“…rude, yet self congratulatory”
You hit the nail on the head – it’s obnoxious and nauseating.
Yes! This!!
This is hilarious AND petty. I understand everyone saying that this is unprofessional for a business, but the ignorance, hatred, and un-American policies that the Trump family stand for are also “unprofessional”. This isn’t a normal presidential race. We have people being attacked and killed on the streets because they have been emboldened by Trump’s words. This isn’t the standard option A versus option B of past elections — this is fascism vs democracy.
I hope Ivanka shoves that cuff up her ass.
+1
*applause*
Tacky, bad business and a cheap tactic to get business from suckers who hate Trump. (Not suckers because they democrats, suckers who can’t see this as an advertising ploy.)
I think this is disgusting. I loathe Trump and am basically a socialist (Feel the Bern!), but it is so rude to write a note like this, and to post it publicly. Very low-class. And what about privacy? I would never purchase from a business that was going to publicize my purchase to the world without my consent. This business is vile.
I think posting the letter was rude and childish. I wouldn’t be surprised if they lose some celebrity customers knowing this company doesn’t respect privacy.
OTOH, including the note in the package to Ivanka was fine. Ivanka needs to realize her actions have repercussions. She may lose a lot of friends, business associates, etc because of her standing up for her father. Hopefully this vacation is her way of distancing herself from the fracas and meltdown that is sure to come and can protect herself and her family.
I have a feeling Lady Grey may get a high-profile return in the future.
Anything that keeps Trump out of office, I support.
Imo it was immature, petty,and for the sake of social media vanity…and bc of that not cool.
As a small business owner, I find this to be incredibly tacky. They absolutely have the right to refuse service to someone but to post their note on Instagram is extremely distasteful. They are clearly just looking for some free P.R.
Two wrongs do not make a right. They were only able to publish the smug af note because Ivanka made a purchase from them. There was no contract or agreement to allow the boutique to use information or data from the transaction for media. The boutique should be glad Ivanka doesn’t toss a handful of lawyers at them. I also have to wonder if a black woman from Brownsville wandered into their store would they wait on her with a warm smile or alert security and follow her around the store? Ugh.
There is a privacy policy on their website they violated with this post. They’re about as good at handling confidential information as their girl Hillary!
On a side note, I’m voting for HRC. Just like to point out the humor here since there’s a lot of tension on the forums these days 🙂
They can donate the money to any organisation they like but I do think they are being a$$holes about it.
I don’t care for Trump or Hillary … or anyone else for that matter; I still think their a$$holes.
Super rude and unprofessional. It doesn’t matter what they think if Ivanka. She’s a customer and her purchase should also be treated more confidentially. It’s okay to donate the funds but the letter is no cool. I’m sure she wont ever buy anything from them again. I’m not a trump supporter but I think this might alienate a bunch of customers.
I think it was definitely rude and unprofessional. Time will tell if it impacts their business favorably or not.
We seem to be experiencing a dearth of manners lately. When I was a child, I didn’t understand the point of learning manners. As an adult, I realize it’s to show respect to other people. It doesn’t take much time or effort and can make a difference in someone’s day.
Really, they’re donating the whole $85 to three organizations?
The older I get, the more I realize that adults act like children more often than they realize.
An uncomfortably smug attempt to promote themselves. Trump was a customer – treat her as such. I can’t bear unprofessional behavior, under any circumstance.
Tasteless, rude, and tacky. If they had done something similar to Chelsea Clinton everyone would be up in arms about it, but because Ivanka Trump was the target, it’s okay and even laudable according to some people. What a bunch of hypocrites.
And really…even if you define “proceeds” as the price of the item, that means they’re donating a whole $28 to each organization. How generous. Hipsters who’ve helped to drive “regular” people out of Brooklyn, now purporting to be concerned about others? Really.
Super tacky. Girl is making a purchase and doesn’t care what you do with the money but don’t use her as publicity! As someone said above, if a company wrote a note to Chelsea Clinton saying they donated the money from her purchase to the NRA and then instagrammed the note, would that be OK?
I’m not a Trump or Ivanka supporter, but this is extremely rude and unprofessional. What goes around comes around, and this person will regret their actions.
I would NEVER vote for Trump, but that note came off so rude and preachy and just as close minded as they’re saying she is. Also it’s an obvious publicity ploy. Amateur hour by Lady Grey times one million.
Very self congratulatory. This reminds me of the Rupert Murdoch’s pie thrower. After the incident he wrote an op-ed explaining his actions. People weren’t exactly amused at all. Instead, people praised Wendy Deng’s pie deflecting reflex. It would be better if someone from her camp leaked the note.
I think their actions are disgusting. You are a BUSINESS-not 2 bully girls in a schoolyard. Ivanka is or should I say WAS A CUSTOMER. This is NOT the way you treat your customers and follow up with a public shaming. It’s RUDE, ABUSIVE, AND UNPROFESSIONAL! A few years ago when you were starting your business, you would have hand delivered them, kissed her ass, framed the check and would have been showing off all over the internet. Your actionsshow exactly who you are. If you didn’t want her business you could have quietly returned her her payment. You are both repulsive cowards
Agree
Friggen awesome!!!!! The perfect response. Good for him!!!!
you have no chance whatsoever of Winning Donald WHEN your OWN Daughter donates money to your opponent’s campaign..that my friends shows America that your own daughter has no faith whatsoever in you either as a father, A President or even a Human being…..
What rude, immature, terrible businesswomen.
They may be high fiving themselves about this, but would anyone trust them NOT to humiliate them should they discover that your personal beliefs or actions do not chime with their own.
Everybody who says Ivanka deserves this would sing a different tune if it were them.
Especially when it’s clear that your humiliation and invasion of privacy is being used as a marketing tool.
ha ha ha ha ha ha I am ordering from them today just because that was so fukcing cool
Low class. ZERO business sense. Period.
If I ever WAS going to shop from them,
I would not now.